Raiders DL Vanderdoes expects to 'contribute and play right away'

A former five-star recruit, Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes has always played a significant role on defense, including all three of his healthy years at UCLA.

Vanderdoes has no intention of treating Oakland any differently.

“I’m coming in expecting to contribute and play right away,” Vanderdoes said in a conference call with the Raiders on Friday. “That’s the mindset that I’ve always had. I’ve came with that mindset that I need to be the guy to step in and do what I do and dominate.”

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In his first two years with the Bruins, Vanderdoes flashed such dominance.

The Auburn, Calif. native totaled 87 combined tackles (54 solo), 10 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in his first 26 games with UCLA.

However, an ACL injury just one game into the 2015 season sidelined Vanderdoes for almost his entire junior campaign and had negative effects on his play as a senior last season. He struggled to maintain his weight and conditioning, hindering his ability to put forth similar efforts to his first two seasons with the Bruins.

Now nearly two years removed from the injury, Vanderdoes should fully recover from the injury to find his ideal playing weight and conditioning regimen to return to dominance with the Silver and Black, especially given his hungry, aggressive mindset.